Home Run Inn is closing three stores across the Chicago area, including one in Bronzeville, leaving customers in the area with one fewer option to grab a slice.
The Berwyn, Bronzeville and Melrose Park locations are set to close Sunday, according to reports. Six other stores, including the first Home Run Inn at 4254 W. 31st St. in Little Village, will remain open. The company did not return a request for comment.
Billy Torain, 60, and his son Daniel, 17, had stopped in to get some zippers repaired at a nearby laundromat and decided to drop by for a slice on Saturday, not realizing it was the location’s second to last day. For Billy, the draw to Home Run Inn is the garlic butter crust. For his son, it’s a comfort food because it feels like being at home. In addition to its restaurants, Home Run Inn sells frozen pizza at grocery stores such as Jewel, Mariano’s and more.
“We come here whenever we have pizza,” the elder Torain said. “Home Run Inn is the only pizza I like to eat here in Chicago.”
“Most times I’m eating pizza, I’m at home eating the frozen Home Run Inn,” his son said.
With the closure, they said their next go-to spot might be Beggar’s Pizza, 1400 E. 47th St. in Hyde Park.
Williams Johnson, who started working security in the area two weeks ago, stopped in to grab a slice of sausage pizza on his lunch break. In his opinion, the pizza at this location is “seven out of 10” because it’s largely a takeout location. Johnson, who lives on the West Side, said he prefers Mama Luna’s Pizza at 5109 W. Fullerton Ave. in Belmont Cragin, but stops in at Home Run Inn for the convenience to get a slice every so often because he worked in the area. It’s also a good option for enjoying at home, he said.
“It just feels like something you can throw in the oven at home, wait 30 minutes and watch a movie with,” Johnson said.
Johnson said he wasn’t surprised to see the location close its doors, as it’s shutting down just days after the Walgreens next door shuttered.
As for the future of the location, he wasn’t sure what would go there, but he said he’d like to see a newer restaurant, such as Raising Cane’s, take over.
“I see a lot of people picking up, but I don’t see a lot of people sitting down to eat,” Johnson said. “It’s probably the location too. … I feel like something else could be making way more money here for sure.”
Once known as the city’s “Black Metropolis,” Bronzeville has seen several closures of major businesses in recent years. In addition to the Walgreens that closed on Wednesday, a nearby Walmart in the ward abruptly closed in 2023.